because they're so young, they will not be released back in the wild. >> look how much they love each other. how cozy. see you at 6:00. tonight, the caravan cliff hanger, a march getting closer to the u.s. border as president trump leaves many scratching their heads by warning of quote unknown middle easterners in the crowd. also tonight, what a difference two years makes. >> as i call him lying ted cr. he's lying ted cruz. >> donald, you're a sniveling coward. >> liar. terrible ted. >> the president coming to the aid of a former bitter rival in the fight of his political life. and breaking news, a category 4 hurricane taking aim at resort cities in mexico popular with americans. emergency evacuations underway. also breaking, a frightening scene at a tv station in d.c. an intruder shot by security guards after smashing down the doors. a bizarre new plot twist, a body double caught on camera, a

man wearing jamal khashoggi's clothes apparently pretending to be the murdered "washington post" journalist. a former nfl star in prison for orchestrating a murder hit on his pregnant girlfriend. now walking free and wanting to see the unborn son, now a teenager who survived the shooting. outrage over a racist rant on a plane. and an airline under fire for allowing the alleged instigator to stay on board. the woman who called off her wedding but made someone else's dream come true. >> announcer: this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt. good evening, everyone. the massive caravan of central american migrants 7,000 strong marched through southern mexico today and facing straight into the political headwinds of the united states. president trump sensing a winning issue saying today without evidence, that there are unknown middle east earners among the migrants and calling it a national emergency. advocates for the

migrants say they are seeking a better life and finding safety in numbers on their long journey north. gabe gutierrez is with them tonight. >> reporter: it is a sea of humanity getting bigger by the day. at times, more than 7,000 people desperately and defiantly marching north despite president trump's threats to block their entry into the u.s. why are you marching? we are not criminals. we're fighting for a better life sandra cortez says. she's pregnant and clutching her 1-year-old girl. the journey is grueling in the heat and through dangerous terrain and there is no end in sight. today one migrant died, run over in an accident after falling off the back of a trailer. the caravan began earlier this month in honduras then plowed through guatemala and mexico and planning to reach the u.s., though in the clear when. we want to go work there 60-year-old maria says. she's making the trek with her granddaughter. in honduras, opposition political figures started the loosely organized

caravan but it's now grown. after the group clashed with mexican police on friday, sandra is rethinking the trip. right now she's deciding whether to continue on this path or return to honduras because she's worried it will be too dangerous. but tonight, more are on the move and others are joining in with a showdown grueling at the u.s. border. gabe gutierrez, nbc news, mexico. i'm kristen welker in houston where tonight president trump is seeking to use the specter of that caravan of migrants to energize his base just two weeks before the midterms. contending without any evidence, criminals and unknown middle easterners are mixed in doubling down late today. >> go into the middle and search. you're going to find ms-13. you're going to find middle eastern. you're going to find everything. >> reporter: in houston supporters lined up hours ahead of the rally to watch the president campaign for texas senator, ted

cruz, once his bitter rival. >> ted cruz, i call him lying ted cruz. he's lying ted. >> reporter: months of attacks that included then candidate trump falsely accusing cruz' father of being involved in the kennedy assassination and even mocking the appearance of his wife heidi. >> donald, you're a sniveling coward and leave heidi the hell alone. >> reporter: times have changed and so has the president's tune. >> to me, he's not lying ted anymore. he's beautiful ted. i call him texas ted. >> reporter: the two now unlikely allies fighting to hold on to power in washington with mr. cruz trying to fend off a tough challenge from democratic upstart beto o'rourke. >> he's that's why the president called him lying ted and why the nickname stuck because it's true. >> reporter: with early voting already underway, texans are energized. >> i think you have energy on both sides. there's no doubt about it. we would be stupid to think you're not going to have a lot of energy on the left. >> reporter: in a boost for the president, our latest

nbc news/"wall street journal" poll shows his approval rating is at 47%, that's 2 points higher than former president obama had at this point in 2010 just before democrats got badly beaten in the midterms. lester. >> kristen welker in texas tonight, thanks. now to the late word of a scar caught on camera in washington d.c. with employees preparing for the evening new cast. security guards jumped into action as an intruder smashed his way inside. nbc's pete williams has the tape. >> reporter: just after 3:00 this afternoon at wttg, the fox affiliate in washington d.c., police say this 38-year-old man forced his way in by kicking out panels in the front door this surveillance video, then repeatedly kicking on an inner door until he broke through that one, too. a security guard tried to subdue him but when that failed shot him inside the station's lobby. >> he forcibly entered the front door. a security guard confronted him and as

a result of the confrontation she fired one shot into his upper torso. >> reporter: he was taken by ambulance to the hospital and was in stable condition. police say he was not armed and no one else was injured. investigators do not say why the man was trying to get into the television station, but a law enforcement source said he wanted the fox affiliate to get in contact with president trump. pete williams, nbc news, washington. tonight a monster category 4 hurricane is taking aim after disasters in the carolinas and florida panhandle. this destructive storm is barrelling to mexican resort cities packed with american tourists and now racing to escape.nbc's tammy l has late details. >> reporter: off the is seeing the first signs of the storm. >> everybody is just kind of hunkering down trying to stay dry. >> reporter: hurricane willa, a category 4 headed straight for tourist spots. hotels say most guests have left but stocking supplies for those ay

a fee and norwegian cruise line rerouting to avoid the area. >> hurricane willa simply exploded today getting a category 5, now a category 4 storm with winds upwards of 155 miles per hour making landfall north tomorrow evening. >> reporter: here in the states, the rain will make its way to texas still recovering from major flooding just last week. tammy leitner, nbc news, miami. now to the bizarre new twist in the murder of "washington post" journalist jamal khashoggi, part of the coverup caught on camera. a body double seen wearing khashoggi's clothes apparently trying to make people think he left the consulate alive. and this just in a senior u.s. intelligence official confirms to nbc news cia director gina haspel is headed to turkey for the khashoggi investigation. our chief foreign correspondent richard engel has details.

>> reporter: saudi arabia denies it ordered journalist jamal khashoggi to be killed, officials say a fight broke out and he ended up dead but tonight reports an advisor to the saudi crown prince was on skype with the killers giving orders. the advisor was fired last week. turkey says saudi arabia brutally murdered khashoggi and then bungled the cover-up, including the unconvincing use of a body double. turkish officials leaked security footage of this man walking around istanbul after khashoggi was dead dressed in his clothing and glasses and tonight a pro rn here aired thing there is saudi officials burning documents at their consulate after khashoggi's murder. armaturish killers left a clear trail of evidence. they arrive at this underground parking lot an abandoned vehicle with saudi diplomatic plates. turkey has been revealing damning information about the

old regional rivals saudi arabia day by day but the white house says it still needs more time to examine the facts and today, treasury security steven munchin met with the man who's now the focus of global scrutiny, saudi arabia's crown prince. richard engel, nbc news, istanbul. former nfl star ray karruth is now a free man after spending 18 years in prison for conspiring to murder his girlfriend in 1999. at the time she was pregnant with his son. the baby survived but with severe damage to the brain. ron mott has more. >> reporter: 44-year-old ray rrar for the cin repters walki he was accused of plotting the 1999 out of prison today. murder of his girlfriend shot four times by a hit man. their unborn child delivered by emergency c section suffered brain damage, chancellor lee adams now 18 has been raised by his maternal grandmother. >> i want him to come to repentance because

ray is never going to have peace in his life until he tells the truth. >> reporter: after carruth was arrested and posted bail, he fled and was later found in the trunk of this car 500 miles away in tennessee. two other men, van brett watkins and michael kennedy, were also convicted. >> i said, well, that's going to kill her. rae said kill her then. >> reporter: adams was eight months pregnant driving her car when another vehicle pulled up beside her and opened fire. in a letter from prison last february addressed to sandra adams and obtained by charlotte station wbtv carruth wrote, i feel responsible for everything that happened. his attorney said he wants to meet his son and according to his grandmother, chancellor wants to meet his dad. ron mott, nbc news. there are fears of a new arms race between the u.s. and russia after president trump said he's ripping up a cold war era nuclear treaty. national security advisor john bolton is

in moscow where something he said about russia's election meddling is raising eyebrows. here's nbc's andrea mitchell. >> reporter: in echoes of the cold war, president trump says he'll tear up a historic missile treaty with russia because of russia treating, freeing both sides to start building new weapons. >> russia has not adhered to the agreement. this should have been done years ago. until people come to their senses, we have more money than anybody else by far, we'll build it up. >> reporter: that message deliver in moscow by national security advisor john bolton who also told the russians he does not think their meddling in the 2016 election had any real effect. getting out of the nuclear treaty is a huge decision. signed by ronald ragan and mikhail gorbachev more than 30 years ago, the treaty banned thousands of short and medium range missiles, then largely deployed in europe. >> we have made history. >> reporter: but experts warn the president is triggering a dangerous arm's race favoring russia. >> the russians will win the political game

here, and they will also have a military advantage inside europe. >> reporter: a race that could also cost billions. andrea mitchell, nbc news, washington. protesters gathered at the white house today angry over the report the trump administration is considering a proposal that could impact the rights of transgender americans. our chief white house correspondent hallie jackson has the controversy. >> reporter: demonstrators raising flags and voices after a new report says the trump administration is considering narrowly defining gender as male or female based on genital yeah at birth rolling back a more broad definition from president obama. "the new york times" says it obtained the draft memo, which nbc news has not seen, describing the move as the most drastic yet to eliminate rights for transgender americans. the lgbtq advocates who came to protest in front of the white house today have a message for president trump -- we will not

be erased. if implemented, the new definition could hit hardest in places protected by federal anti discrimination laws like schools. the first openly transgender appointee in the obama white house. >> this flies in the face of conventional wisdom and is really an attack on a small minority of people who just want to be respected and protected by the rule of law. >> reporter: during his campaign, then candidate trump promised protection. now -- what about your promise to protect the lgbt community? >> i'm protecting everybody. >> reporter: hhs is citing a court ruling that described sex as more restrictive definition. hallie jackson, nbc, near the white house. police near atlanta killed a man suspected of murdering one of their own. gwinnett county police officer fatally shot the 18-year-old suspect when they found him hiding in a shed and wielding a lawn mower blade. he was on the run after shooting and killing an officer on saturday allegedly. a second suspect is also under arrest. a pair of police takedowns in florida

and ohio are raising questions about what is appropriate force and what crosses the line. police say there is more to it than what the videos show. nbc's ron allen with the tapes. >> reporter: the viral video shows intense confrontation, a 14-year-old girl under arrest outside a florida shopping mall. >> why are you hitting her? >> i could not believe what i was seeing. it's a 14-year-old child. she is on the ground. you've got two officers on her. >> reporter: in ohio, officers trying to arrest a man they say was a fugitive under the influence of a substance. backup arrives and it all escalates. >> don't beat him like that. >> reporter: the officers defending themselves. outside the florida mall, citing textbook training. >> what you see on video is the officer delivering some strikes, distraction strikes to an area where she has her hands concealed underneath her. the officers don't know what she has in her possession.

>> reporter: police stressing what you don't see in the viral video also matters. the teens and friends harassing shoppers in the mall, told to leave and returning. taken to the ground because of what police call aggressive behavior. >> the officers' actions were 100% within policy. >> reporter: the teen facing a variety of charges but not police but still trying to convince an often very skeptical public, there is more to these encounters than meets the eye. ron allen, nbc news. >> tough to watch. also ahead tonight, the unsettling video of a plane passenger's racist rant at a 77-year-old woman and why he was allowed to stay on board. the the ground? the big announcement from billionaire elon musk. it was going to be her special day but what she did instead is tonight's "inspiring america."

back now with an ugly con frontation in the air. a man caught on video unleashing a racist rant on an elderly woman as stunned passengers couldn't believe what they were seeing and hearing and the airline facing

questions why it allowed the man to stay on the flight. nbc's joe fryer has the story. but first, a warning the language is offensive. >> reporter: the flight had not yet departed when emotions took off. >> if you don't i'll put you there. >> reporter: this unidentified man was directing his comments toward 77-year-old delcey gayle. >> i feel really, really depressed about it. >> reporter: it ryanair from barcelona to london.g to move when a passenger started recording this video, gayle's daughter was in a heated exchange with the man. >> don't you dare talk to her. >> don't you tell me what to do. >> reporter: things escalated between the man and gail. >> don't talk to me in a [ bleep ] foreign language you cow. >> will you stop? >> i will carry on. >> reporter: eventually gayle moved to another seat.

>> what have i done? i haven't done anything to attack me because of the color of my skin. >> reporter: a flight attendant told the man to calm down but gayle is upset he was allowed to stay on the flight. ryanair says it has reported it to the police who are investigating. joe fryer, nbc news. >> we'll take a break. coming up, elon musk's high-speed solution to traffic nightmares and when you can take a ride on it. > ba now with what

could be the future of travel on another and another daring, bigger than life promise from elon musk. the man who founded spacex and tesla says he's nearly finished digging the first test rack for an underground system of fast-moving pods. the idea is they'll whisk commuters across los angeles in a matter of minutes. nbc's tom costello is in l.a. >> reporter: in a city synonymous with gridlock and congestion, elon musk's company is

digging deep. the first track of his underground loop set for a test run on december 10th in l.a. >> i think this is going to be something that's way better than any transport system anywhere else in the world. >> reporter: in l.a. and chicago, musk plans to use electric pods to carry 16 people at a time at up to 155 miles per hour. commuters could stay in their own cars. his plan for l.a., two dozen commuter stations across the city but some skeptical transportation analysts say it's not a big enough solution. >> there is no silver bullet to los angeles traffic's problems. >> reporter: still, musk is boring straight ahead.musk has a repuo n promises, though sometimes missing the original deadline. despite the critics, musk is convinced the future of commuting is down there. tom costello, nbc news, los angeles. up next, "inspiring america." the would be bride who gave her special day away to complete strangers. a fire is burning ina

high-rise apartment in san francisco. we )re live at the scene.

and a mayor on the peninsula says there )s no traffic problem in her city...but the residents are trying to prove her wrong. next. a texas woman is making headlines with her generosity toward a couple she never met before. instead of giving them a wedding gift, they got an entire wedding. an act of kindness that's "inspiring america." when kolbie sanders called off her wedding >> i didn't want that day to go by andanybody else wedding venue to a complete stranger in need, posting on facebook, thisfo other and will continue to choose each other for the rest of their lives. like hailey hipsher and matt jones. >> i said that my grandfather has stage

iv pancreatic cancer and he wasn't even supposed to make it this far. >> so, let's begin. >> after hundreds of entries, she picked a winner from her kitchen come -- collander. >> this is it. hailey hipsher. >> it was instant shock. it was backwards. that's my name and my sister started calling me and my mom. >> a few days later with kolbie in attendance, hailey walked down the aisle as her grandfather watched. >> i believe that the planned, and this was by far not planned. >> whenever you start focussing on the outcome of other people's lives and not on your own, your own gets better. >> kolbie's good deed also inspired others. a bakery, florist and wedding photographer all donated their services, too. best wishes to everyone. that's "nbc nightly news" for this monday. i'm lester holt. for all of us at nbc news, thank you for watching and good night. we wanna start w/ our brg

news: a fire at a high rise apartment building in san francisco. this is right off the start with our breaking news. a fire at a high-rise apartment building in san francisco. this is right off the embarcadero. a lot of people seeing, the thick black smoke and the flames throughout this last 25 minutes. news at 6:00 starts right no i want to take you outside to raj. >> and i'm jessica. see the view flying above this high-rise in san francisco. this is a live picture. luckily the flames are out at this point. this is 405 davis near the corner of davis and washington. in fact you have the embarcadero on one side and sits between jackson, battery and davis street. about 5:30 that fire broke out. you can see it there, flames and lots of black smoke billowing somewhere between the 12th and 15th floor. that's what we are hearing from

the san francisco fire department. at this point we are not hearing of any injuries. and it appears no evacuations either. because if you go back to the live picture, you can see there are people still in the apartments both above and below this particular section of the building. >> yeah, back to our live pictures. this is right off the embarcadero. what we saw there, at some point saw the people on the upper floors. so big rush. and primary question was, was there anyone perhaps stuck in those apartment units perhaps on the balconies. we were looking for that as skyranger was going by. we didn't see anything. this is all unfold inning thes last 20 to 25 minutes there on 405 davis street. the question now in terms of